A destination wedding is a wedding that is held in a setting away from the hometown of the couple. It is a wedding that is celebrated by family and a few friends that were lucky to secure an invitation. Most of the people that have gone the destination wedding way have also celebrated their honeymoon in the same venue.
A destination wedding gives the people a chance to conduct their wedding in a romantic destination without spending a lot of money and minimized planning process and time. The destination of the wedding is arranged in a way that goes with the couple’s tastes and preferences. These kinds of weddings are very cool and casual and there is no rigid strictness about fashion.
Pros:
1. Complete wedding package. In most recent times, destination weddings have been preferred all over the world. As a result of these changing trends, most resorts and favored wedding destinations have decided to make it a business by doing everything simpler for the couple. The couple is required to say what they want and the number of guests they have invited and everything else will be sorted. The guests can even enjoy different services in some of these destinations as thank you gifts for choosing them.
2. There is a smaller guest list which means the recipient will be less expensive. It will be less expensive if you have a very small guest list rather than the usual parties conducted at the hometowns. In most of cases, the destination caters to everything in terms of accommodation, food, and drinks and you will have to pay at a low rate. The guest caters to their own transport cost.
3. Honeymoon at your dream destination. If your wedding destination has been a dream location for your honeymoon it will be a big win for you because you don’t have to incur other costs going to the honeymoon destination. You will be able to save some money and there will be a beautiful reason for celebrating your anniversaries at the same destination.
4. Stressful family situations are avoided. A destination wedding gives you the chance of keeping your day very romantic and intimate because you can choose to not invite anyone and just send them pictures. There is also the choice of keeping the guest list very small and the people you can’t stand will be nowhere to be seen.
5. Beautiful scenery. The sceneries of destination weddings are breathtaking and beautiful. Can you imagine exchanging vows as the sun sinks at the mountains, painting the sky orange and yellow as the breeze hugs your faces and your lover on your lips? Lovely.
6. An unforgettable wedding. The destination of your wedding is what you can keep in the minds of your family members and guests for a very long period of time. The guests may not remember even the color of the dresses they wore but enjoying a wedding at beautiful scenery won’t be forgotten.
7. It is very simple. Destination weddings are very simple all the way from planning to the day of exchanging vows. Some of the preferred wedding resorts have got designed packages created by professional wedding planners and you just have to choose what you like.
8. Relaxed. In this kind of wedding, you are not overwhelmed by the stress that comes along with planning because everything is done for you by the coordinator. Secondly, the members of the family that are likely to ruin your day are not invited.
9. They are very affordable. Destination weddings are very affordable compared to local weddings. The couple is expected to take care of the resort expenses and their unique designs and the guests are required to take care of themselves.
10. A vacation opportunity. The guests get a chance to enjoy a vacation and cut costs from the normal vacation if you book rooms and schedule group activities.
Cons:
1. Legalities. If you have to conduct your wedding in another country you have to first do well-detailed research on their legalities. In some countries, you won’t be married if you do not produce a valid birth certificate or a passport.
2. Your alone time will be limited. You are required to arrive a day before the wedding day with your guests and familiarize yourself with the destination. On the wedding day, the guests will still be with you and the alone time will still be limited. After the wedding, some of the guests might still be around until the vacation is over limiting your time with your lover.
3. You are not in control. If you are the kind of person that always likes to be in control, this is not an ideal wedding for you because you are not in control of all the planning. Due to logistical constraints, if the location of the wedding is very far you are required to make decisions without being at the location. For the people that like controlling it is not easy making decisions about the food, flowers, accommodations, and decorations without being in the location.
4. Not all the invited guests will attend. If the destination of the wedding is very far not all the invited guests will afford it. Not unless you will pay for everything for them. You have to expect declines from some of your family members unable to afford or held down by other commitments. There is also a challenge for older relatives because of their health and unable to travel.
5. Expense. It is not cheap as it may seem in writing to have a wedding ceremony in a foreign country or a far place in your own country. You will be required to pay for accommodations, tickets, venue, catering, and decorations. You can cut cost but it is not going to be cheap.
6. Long-distance red tape. There would be a lot of challenges if you choose to arrange your wedding on you in a resort that does not specialize in offering wedding services. It could be worse if it is in a foreign country and you don’t know how to acquire a marriage license.
7. You are on your honeymoon with your family. Getting you married is a good thing but how will it be and feel being on a honeymoon with your family? This occurs in most destination weddings because family members are not in a hurry to leave.
8. The number of invited guests. Destination weddings have a very limited number of invited guests which means not all the family members and friends will be invited. This is likely to cause tension and hurt the feelings of those who were not invited.
9. A lot of burdens are placed on the guests. Since the couple is required to cater to the resort, decorations and catering the larger burden is left to the gusts because they will cater to their transport costs and other amenities.
10. The passports issued. If you are planning on a destination wedding abroad or out of the country, you are required to deal with the issue of acquiring passports for the guests and also for you. This whole process might be tiresome and expensive.
